Many vehicles--and as used herein, this includes not only automotive vehicles but also boats and any other conveyances--are equipped with expensive and high-quality audio reproduction equipment. For simplicity, hereinafter, such equipment will be referred to as "car radios", although, of of course, it will be understood that the equipment may include cassette recorders, citizen band (CB) equipment, and many other types of accessory equipment.
It is customary to install accessory equipment, such as car radios, in mounting frames, which are secured to the dashboard or otherwise in the vehicle, by pushing the radio into the mounting frame. The radio and mounting frame are formed with snap-in interlocks. For installation of specific types of radios in the mounting frame, for repair or replacement and the like, the interengaging snap-in connection can be released by inserting suitable tools through appropriate openings and accessible, for example upon removal of an escutcheon, from the face plate of the radios.
Theft of car radios, and particularly high-quality electronic equipment is an increasingly serious problem. If a thief gains entrance into a vehicle--which is not excessively difficult--it is possible to remove the car radio by sliding it out of its frame by overriding the interengaging snap-in connection. The snap-in connection cannot be made too complex in order to permit ready interchange of the accessory apparatus for repair by release jigs or tools of comparatively simple construction. A "professional" thief can have access to such release tools, or fashion such tools himself, for rapid removal for car radios.
Many vehicles, particularly vehicles left unattended overnight, and especially expensive vehicles, include theft alarms which provide visual and/or auditory signals if the car is drive away or the ignition switch is overriden.